The present invention relates generally to methods and apparatus for wrapping articles More particularly, this invention relates to automated wrapping of lollipops.
A "lollipop" may be generally defined as a piece of candy or confection attached to the end of a stick. Lollipops are sold in a variety of flavors, generally distinguished by color, and in a variety of shapes, generally intended to be aesthetically appealing. The stick portion of the lollipop is generally formed from tightly rolled paper.
Lollipops are generally wrapped in a transparent material, such as cellophane, to permit purchasers to select lollipops according to flavor and/or shape. Such transparent wrappings also permit detection of defects, such as chips or cracks, in the lollipop. Being an edible item, it is also desirable for lollipops to be wrapped in a manner which keeps the candy fresh, clean and free from dirt and contaminants. Further, as with many other foods, there is emphasis today on wrapping lollipops in a manner which discourages or provides indicia of tampering or adulteration of the food. Once properly wrapped, it is important that the integrity of the wrapping be maintained during shipping and display.
Prior techniques for wrapping lollipops included several common features whether the wrapping was done by hand or with automated machinery. One method was to place the candy portion in the center of a piece of material and then fold the material over the candy and twist it about the stick Another method was to place the candy portion in a pre-formed envelope and gather the open side of the envelope together and twist it about the stick. Both of these techniques had the advantages of allowing the wrapper to conform to the shape of the candy and leaving the end of the stick free to facilitate display of the lollipop. Unfortunately, merely twisting the wrapper about the stick did not prevent the wrapper from untwisting during shipping, and the lollipop could be tampered with by untwisting and then retwisting the wrapper without leaving any visible indicia of wrapper removal. Further, prior wrappings were not always tight enough about the stem to isolate the candy from the air and, thus, freshness was lost because of small gaps between the wrapper and the stick.
It has also been suggested to completely encapsulate the candy and the stick in a wrapper to ensure freshness and prevent tampering. However, that technique requires additional quantity of wrapping material and often precludes use of the stick to support the candy on display and conformity of the wrapper to the candy shape. Thus, the overall product cost is increased and accessibility and product attractiveness can be reduced.
Some prior wrapping methods have placed the candy portion between the two pieces of wrapping material, with the stick extending outwardly from the wrapping material, and have then bonded those two pieces together at their edges by adhesive or heating. However, to avoid adhering of the adhesive to the stick or burning of the stick in the heat bonding process, a small gap is often left about the stick where it crosses the edges of the wrapping material. Thus, this method does not produce an air-tight wrapper, and product freshness can be detrimentally effected
In hand wrapping lollipops it has previously been suggested to place the candy in a pre-formed envelope, twist the open side of the envelope about the stick, and then turn that twisted portion of the envelope against a heat source to partially melt the envelope material into an air-tight seal against the stick. Such a heat sealed wrapper had the advantages of tamper resistance, greater preservation of freshness, and a longer lasting bond. However, care was required to avoid burning the stick or melting through the wrapper by prolonged or uneven contact with the heat source. Also, wrapping lollipops in this manner by hand is a relatively slow process which could provide inconsistent results.
Prior automated lollipop wrapping machinery was often cumbersome and subject to relatively frequent breakdown or misalignment due to the multiple functions and manipulations in each step or station of the wrapping process. Further, often a change in the shape of the lollipop to be wrapped would require extensive modification and downtime of the machinery, especially where the machinery must grip the candy portion of the lollipop. To help avoid or minimize the need such modifications prior lollipop wrapping machinery would engage the stick rather than the candy portion when moving the lollipop between wrapping stations. However, since the stick has a smaller surface area for engagement and is further from the center of gravity of the lollipop, greater care must often be taken in loading of the lollipops and/or more complicated candy support structures employed. Moreover, regardless of which portion of the lollipop is engaged by the machinery, relative motion between the lollipop and the wrapper after the wrapper is in place, as can result from normal transport through the machinery, can degrade the integrity of the seal.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for wrapping lollipops. Other objects of the present invention, individually and collectively, include the provision of:
1. an inexpensive method and apparatus for wrapping candy, PA1 2. secure and tamper resistant wrappers for lollipops, PA1 3. a lollipop wrapper which maintains a tight seal about the candy portion until intentionally unwrapped by the consumer, PA1 4. a lollipop wrapping apparatus which readily accepts lollipops of different shapes, PA1 5. an apparatus for automatically wrapping candy with greater operational reliability, PA1 6. an apparatus for automatically wrapping candy which is easier to load with candy, PA1 7. an apparatus for quickly applying a heat sealed wrapper of clear plastic material to an edible article, and PA1 8. an apparatus for automatically wrapping and counting lollipops at various different speeds of operation.
These and other objects of the present invention are attained by the provision of a method and apparatus for wrapping lollipops wherein the candy portion is first placed in a pre-formed wrapper envelope and then loaded between chuck jaws translated on a conveyor. The conveyor includes a plurality of chucks, and the chuck jaws of each chuck grip the candy portion of a single lollipop and move the lollipop along a linearly extending heat sealing station wherein the chuck is rotated to cause the wrapper to twist about the stick of the lollipop. The chuck then moves the lollipop to an ejection and counting station where the chuck jaws are automatically opened. After the lollipop leaves the chuck, the chuck jaws are realigned and the chuck is returned to the loading station with the chuck jaws open to receive another lollipop. Movement of the chuck jaws is controlled at each station by underlying cams. As the conveyor carries the chuck over the cams the chuck jaws are opened, closed and/or rotated. During twisting of the wrapper about the stick and heat sealing, a stick support conveyor intersects with the chuck conveyor to maintain the stick in a preselected orientation. The chuck conveyor and the stick support conveyor are mechanically connected to travel at the same speed and can be driven by a single motive source.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon consideration also of the following drawings and detailed description of preferred embodiments.